Dirty Little Secret
Wednesday, November 10, 2010 at 10:35PM Blissfully unaware of the ravages that age invites, I've lived my life - thus far - with perfect peepers, eyes that have effortlessly viewed the world with 20/20 accuracy...near, far and in between.
All of that changed a couple years ago and it happened over night. The formerly easy-to-read microscopic print on the children's Motrin bottle became suddenly unrecognizable. I remember holding the bottle just a bit farther away until the haze became clear. I didn't think much of it at the time. Then, about 8 months ago, I took my Bible with me on an out-of-town trip. I sat in my room, turned on the light and began to read. Each letter blurred into the next and my eyes started to burn. This hadn't happened the day before, but all of a sudden. A short trip to a Target next to the hotel proved helpful and with the purchase of some inexpensive readers, my Bible came back to life.
Shockingly, in the past 30-60 days I've found myself nearly blind to small print. The kids will exuberantly thrust papers into my face and ask me to read them. I can't. I pretend I'm busy and I'll read them later. I go out to eat and discover my arms are no longer able to extend far enough away from my face while holding the menu, for me to read what's printed there. Some print is ok, but not everything in life is printed in billboard-sized font, unfortunately.
I remember when my mom reached this stage. She had a little pair of store-bought readers that she kept in her purse. If we were in the grocery store and she wanted to read something, she would look both ways, turn her face to a corner, hurriedly put them on and whisper something about not wanting anyone to see her in them. Almost ashamed, she would quickly remove them and stick them back in her purse. I remember thinking the whole thing was silly. So what if you needed glasses to see. What's the big deal? Well, I can tell you now what the big deal is...everybody, eventually shares the same dirty little secret - we need glasses in mid-life so that we can see and we don't want to admit it.
Today I walked right by an eye-glass store. I looked in and saw several people waiting to be seen. I thought about going in. The impulse was there. I pictured myself waiting to tell the doctor about my problem. I felt like a convict, ready to turn myself in. It's true, I did it, I now need glasses to read. Here I am. Instead, I kept walking. Denial. I don't need glasses. I've got lots of time before I really need glasses.
And then came dinner tonight. I made a roast, potatoes and onions. It smelled delicious. As I sat down to eat, I looked down at my food as I cut the roast and all of it blurred together. I backed my head up a little to try and decipher a potato from an onion. I couldn't tell one from the other. I think I said out load, "My food is blurry." The kids asked if I felt okay and I said, "No. My food is blurry."
Retreating to my room, I sat down on the bed to watch a little TV before turning in for the night. It hit me again...I couldn't easily read the on-line guide and the formerly easy-to see menu was suddenly a work-out for my tired eyes. Great, I thought to myself, I don't need readers anymore, my eyesight is on such a rapid decline that I now need bifocals.
Reader Comments (4)
Sheila………….I feel your pain. I had to go to readers about 4 years ago, and now I have readers stashed everywhere imaginable just to make sure they are handy when I need to read something in small print. They might not be the most stylish eyewear going, but compared to those sexy bifocals you can purchase, the $6 price tag is just too good to pass up. Anyway, let me know how the bifocal thing goes for you. By the way, now that you have internalized and accepted the fact that your eyes aren’t what they used to be, I need to tell you that your hearing is the next thing to go. However, from my experience I have found that a little deafness can pay huge dividends as the children get a little older and begin to impart their wisdom, and that of their friends, into your family discussions….and that deafness thing will work on your husband as well :-) Randall
Randall, your comment speaks to the saying that misery loves company. Maybe I should do as you say and just start stashing readers all over. Stylish of course.
And then you really pour it on with the whole deafness topic. I had not allowed my mind to drift that far downstream - I'm not that strong. Deafness doesn't scare me as much as mid-life blindness, but maybe that's because I like things quiet. I do appreciate how you point out the advantages, thank you. As always, you make me smile :)
Hi Sheila!
I love popping in to your blog every now and then and seeing what is up with you and the family.
Oh yes, the glasses dilemma.....I never thought it would happen to me either. I eagerly encourage you to have a spare pair in most rooms of the house, it is just easier that way and then you don't have to carry a pair around or make an unnecessary trip back to wherever you may have left them the last time you needed them (in the case of only have one pair).
I did finally get the progressive bifocals last year and they are my glasses of choice for going out. Now when I'm in the grocery store and want to read a label I can just keep my glasses on, read the label and be on my way down the aisle in an elegant fashion.
Best wishes and just think of the glasses as a new fashion accessory!
Janet B
Thanks for your support and your empathy, Janet. I am now starting to collect readers, but they are still a bit of a hassle. I like your idea of the fashionable progressive bifocals, which I think is where I'm headed. I'm still dealing with a fair amount of denial and subsequent blurry vision. It's funny how we never think we'll get to these points that age inevitably takes us...but we all do. Drats!
Thanks for checking in on the blog...it's great to hear from you! Can't wait to see you in your new fashionable eyewear :)